Favorite Features of an IC Package Designer: Flexible 3D Viewing

This is the first in a series of discussions we would like to open up regarding “favorite features” in an IC Packaging implementation design tool.

We talk to customers all the time that are designing IC packages with stacked die.  While trough-silicon-via (TSV) is the wave of the future, the vast majority today are wirebonding down to the substrate from the upper die.  Depending on which tools they are using, some are unsure if the wires have proper clearance.  Many throw it over the wall to the process engineer on the manufacturing side and hope he doesn’t throw it back.  The truth is, this is old school mentality.  Today’s designers should be thinking 3D.

In our discussions with ecosystem partners, we hear similar stories from those on the manufacturing side.  A wirebond process engineer knows all the detail of exactly how the wires will be shaped, but without a 3D view, it can sometimes be difficult to put together the bonding strategy for a complex stacked die device.

The answer, of course, is 3D viewing technology that can be shared between design and manufacturing engineers.  At Cadence, we designed our 3D viewing technology to aid IC Package designers with a tightly integrated 3D viewer.  Designers can view the package in its entirety, or they can slice out a section and view that one piece.  The viewer also provides 3D rule checks that ensures that wires meet minimum clearance requirements.  These kind of checks simply are not possible when limited to two dimensions.

However, the 3D technology extends beyond the designer’s desktop.  Use of 3D viewing technology may be an important part of a design review or something that needs to take place on the manufacturing floor.  However, these users of 3D viewing technology have little to no need to edit the actual IC Package design.   The convenience of being able to drive the 3D viewing technology outside of the package design tool leaving the designer’s licenses available for design work has been a big help to many Cadence customers.

So, for this reason, we choose flexible 3D viewing technology (stand alone or integrated with design) as a favorite feature in an IC Package design solution.

Please let us hear about your experiences with Cadence 3D viewing technology for IC Packaging solutions.

TeamAllegro